Experimental investigation of cooling, wind velocity, and dust deposition effects on solar PV performance in a tropical climate in Bangladesh

Numerous factors affect how well a solar PV system performs, and continuous monitoring of these parameters while it is in operation is necessary to suggest improvements and attain peak optimum performance. This study examines the impacts of irradiance, cell temperature, wind velocity, water cooling, and dust deposition are examined on a 50W PV module in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Experimental results suggest that the preferred wind velocity and water flow rate for the PV panel's top surface cooling were around 5 m/s and 0.0045 m3/min (0.113 m3/min per m2 of panel area), respectively. The cooling system's water circulation at 0.0045 m3/min boosted the PV panels' output power, energy efficiency, and exergy efficiency by 20.47%, 12%, and 37.5%, respectively, at 730–780 W/m2 irradiation. The dust deposition of the PV panel reduced the power output to 21W from 46.81W (without dust) upon applying 42 gm of dust with a 0.29 mm particle size. Wind velocity (5 m/s) increases efficiency from 14.8% to 16.5%. The findings of this study may be useful to investors and policy makers in helping them to take right actions to minimize losses associated with the effects these operational and environmental factors.